Thursday, April 18, 2013WR Godwin taking time with recruitment
By Josh Moyer

Chris Godwin (Middletown, Del./Middletown) insisted he felt no pressure from Penn State's coaching staff to commit. But the ESPN Watch List wideout said he could still read between the lines.

He expects the Nittany Lions to take no more than two receivers. And with the commitment of Troy Apke over the weekend, he understands waiting too long now could mean he loses that PSU scholarship offer.

"It's not like they're pressuring me," he said. "But they let me know that I'm the top receiver on their board and they would love to have me. But, then again, they have limited scholarships -- so they told me, 'You have to keep that in mind.'

"But, I mean, it's not really changing my timeline. I feel like I'm going to make my decision at the right time, when I'm positive I'm comfortable. I'm not rushing."

The 6-foot-2, 197-pound receiver wants to trim his list over the summer -- but he also wants to see more schools first before doing that. He's already been to Happy Valley three or four times, and he's seen Rutgers, Maryland and Ohio State.

He visited PSU this past weekend, planned a nearby trip to Virginia Tech this weekend and hopes to see South Carolina in the near future. And, ideally, he's hoping to commit before his senior year so he can focus on the season.

"Not many schools have stood out so far," Godwin added. "So I'm trying to keep an open mind. ... But I'm definitely interested in Penn State. I'm legitimately interested in them."

That much is pretty obvious with Godwin since he couldn't keep track of exactly how many times he's even seen PSU. He's tried to learn something new about the university with each visit he's made, and he focused on the staff's coaching style last Friday.

His eyes closely followed receivers coach Stan Hixon during the outdoor practice, but he also wanted to track the overall tone of the staff. He talked to a few PSU players, polled them about the coaches and came away pleased with what he saw and heard Friday.

"Coach Hixon isn't really the type to yell at his players, that's just not his style," Godwin said. "But you know when he's upset, and he'll get his point across. And, mainly, the players told me they love the coaching staff. They said they're a hard-working group and really prepared.

"I loved watching it all."

Godwin isn't sure when he might stop by again. The Nittany Lions became one of the first schools to contact him back when he was a freshman, so he knows the program well. And he could very well stay with PSU until the end -- as long as PSU stays with him.